1. POLAND: CURRENT REGULATION
Maternity leave: 20 weeks, 14 compulsory weeks.
Payment depends on family decision on parental leave.
20 weeks may be paid at 80 per cent or 100 per cent. If the mother chooses to take the 100 per cent option, any Parental leave taken afterwards will be paid: at 100 per cent for the first six weeks and at 60 per cent for the remaining 26 weeks; if she chooses the 80 per cent option, this will also be paid at 80 per cent.
Parental leave: 32 weeks
The 32 weeks period can be taken as one continuous period of leave or as several periods , not more than four. Parents can use the leave until the end of calendar year in which the child turns six years old.

2. POLAND: CURRENT REGULATION
Paternity leave: 2 weeks, non-transferable, 100% paid. The Paternity leave can be taken during the first 24 months after birth; and it can be taken in two parts. Childcare leave: 36 months can be taken after Maternity leave. Parents can use the leave until the child turns six years old. Out of this, 34 months are a family entitlement, with one month as an individual entitlement for the mother and another month for the father. A parental allowance of €179 per month is paid for 24 months to parents taking leave as a supplement to family benefit, if monthly household income per capita does not exceed € Programme, „SOCIAL REVOLUTION”: support for all families with more than one child (regardless of income). Family gets €125 a month for every child. Low income families with one child also get the benefit.

3. PRACTICE
No longer than 21 days after birth, the mother-employee may declare if she wants to take the 80 per cent option, i.e. an option of combined Maternity and Parental leave, for the total of 52 weeks of leave
Less than 1% of fathers take parental leave (in 2017: 2 out of 231 tousands)
Mothers on the leave for one year
Attendance rates at formal ECEC services –
0-2 years: 11%
3-5 years: 74%

4. WE NEED COMPLEX APPROACH:
RECOMMENDATIONS
CHALLENGES:
Cultural norms
Rejection of „imposed” EU policies („against” Polish culture; calls for graduał change)
Low position of workers at the labour market
WE NEED COMPLEX APPROACH:
Institutional care for children
Inner-Poland campaigns on value of fatherhood and paternal leaves
Work-life balance not gender equailty
Gradual non-transferable aiming at equal in…
Other solutions on healthcare, stabilization of employment, tax system etc.